Lost art of marketing

Google's 'Analytics Evangelist' Explains Why Websites 'Suck'

Kaushik: Despite Mounds of Data, Marketers Don't Understand Consumers
By Mya Frazier

Published: May 21, 2008
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AdAge.com) - Avinash Kaushik thinks one of the reasons why so many websites "suck" today is because of the hippo - as in the "highest paid person's opinion."

And, yes, you're likely a hippo - a successful advertising executive, CMO or brand manager, pulling in a six-figure income, often found pontificating about what does and doesn't work online. You use tried-and-true metrics such as unique visitors and click-through rates to decide on the best design for your landing page or what content is best suited on your product site.

Getting the 'why''Least closest'
Yet, despite your mounds of data, Mr. Kaushik thinks you are the "least closest to the customer."

It was a blunt indictment, considering Mr. Kaushik offered it during a talk before roughly 200, well, hippos - marketing executives from Procter & Gamble, Victoria's Secret, Coca-Cola and Timberland - at an invite-only client conference held by Resource Interactive, a Columbus-based digital agency.

Mr. Kaushik is the "analytics evangelist" at Google, a new post created after his one-year consulting gig with the search giant expired. (Mr. Kaushik was previously director of research and analytics at Intuit, the personal-finance software company, and he is also the author of "Web Analytics: An Hour a Day" and web analytics blog Occam's Razor.)

Mr. Kaushik employed the word "sucks" frequently when he talked about the traditional metrics used for measuring online marketing. And as far as online marketing goes, it sucks too. He likened it to a "faith-based initiative."

The point of Mr. Kaushik's candor is that he wants marketers to start thinking more about the "why." To get at that, he espoused the use of more online surveys of site visitors to find "segments of discontent."

He advised marketers to create conversations with consumers using a simple, short and free online survey created by Iperceptions.com, an online research firm. The survey asks: Who is coming to your website? Why are they there? How are you doing? What do you need to fix?

The surveys "get customers involved in fixing things," he said.

What analytics means
After his talk, Mr. Kaushik described the day-to-day duties of his job at Google as "giving a lot of talks" to teach people how to make better websites and spreading the word about Google's seven "analytic tools," mainly Google Analytics and Ad Optimizer. He noted that anyone from a mom-and-pop business to a Fortune 500 brand can use these tools.

"Google is giving the same tools that, only prior to Google, you had to get at a big advertising agency or digital firm for free."

When asked to explain in more depth what Google Analytics - and his role as an analytics evangelist - means for digital and traditional advertising agencies, Mr. Kaushik said: "We want to be the company that really lives the spirit of accountable advertising."

Martha StewART

She looks so cool on TV and even looked fine going to jail! Who would have thought that she can curse like a plumber? Classy, brassy, rich and blonde - like Paris Hilton. Both are excellent marketers and both have done time. My kind of gals!

Paris is not Britney

It would be easy to dismiss Paris Hilton as a lost bimbo like Britney due to the drink driving bust and the fiasco in jail. Actually, she is a clever business woman who commands $1 million to just show up at an event or party. Bono from U2 only gets $500k!

Ever since her internet sex video shae has provided entertainment while quietly building a loyal fan base, a line of products and her very own fortune.

We'll probably keep making fun of her but she will surely keep building her franchise.

Jeffrey Merrihue

Al Gore's message on climate change is one of the defining issues of our age.

Thursday the 29th Al presented an updated version of Inconvenient Truth to the London business community in an impassioned plea that caused one executive to stand up between the main course and desert to pledge $1 million to his sustainability cause. The once, somewhat tense almost president has become a funny, compelling statesman for planetary health. Pass the word - join the cause.

Greenspan of control

Alan Greenspan seems older than time itself but still has a clear view of the world. He was arguably the greatest central banker of all time and is still seen to be quite influential. Of the many interesting views he promotes, one about China is intriguing indeed. He argues that the introduction of cheap Chinese goods has accounted for our recent low inflation environment even in the face of rising oil prices. He then goes on to say that as Chinese manufacturing capacity gets soaked up?Chinese wages are rising and that this could lead to a period of prolonged inflationary pressure.

Get a life

I am an avid consumer of new stuff but Second life is beyond me. The dreary life replacement world just seems boring and underpopulated. While I like my the movie star person that can be created, it looks silly when the clumsy navigation has you bumping into walls. Check out the YouTube spoof on second life and see why I predict this phenomenon will burn out like Boo.com.

Prince gives away records

If you cannot beat 'em - join 'em - so they say. Prince decided rather than have everyone steal his new record, he would just give it away with 4m going in the Sunday mail. He then staged 21 nights at the 02 and earn millions in ticket sales and merchandise (and gave the record away there as well). Record companies and cd stores howled but Prince made out well. He plays the guitar like Hendrix but who would have known he was a marketing genius to boot?.

Magic's magic

Magic Johnson, championship basketball player, was noted for dropping out of basketball with aids. The most remarkable part of the rise and fall of Magic is his reincarnation as the world's 1st inner city businessman. He has a chain of Burger Kings, cinemas and Starbucks franchises targeted at inner cities like Harlem.

The most exciting thing about his proposition is that it is business not charity. He notes the enormous buying power of the 10's of millions of inner city residents with low average buying power but high total buying power. Inner city cinemas for example offer a wider variety of food as the cinema becomes the restaurant. Then average inner city cinema ticket is double the suburbs (there is no fancy dinner afterwards).

Holding companies stagger along

Ad Age has announced that Havas won more net new business than the other big holding companies because although they did not win much, Havas lost less. It is a somewhat whimpering victory. The hot shops seem to still sizzle with Crispin Porter in the USA, Mother and CHI in the UK and Agency.com seeming to drive the agenda. Hard to see how JWT, McCann and Burnett will re-invent themselves. One interesting strategy is Draft taking over FCB and maybe IPG’s RGA (Robert Greenburg) could take over Lowes!